Microsoft Thinks Sony Will Release a PS5 Slim Later This Year - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 October 2023 / 6,561 Views
Microsoft is expecting Sony to release a PlayStation 5 Slim model later this year and thinks it could have the same price point of the current PS5 Digital Edition of $399.99, according to documents filed by Microsoft as part of the FTC vs Microsoft hearing and spotted by The Verge.
"The FTC contends that Xbox and PlayStation constitute a market of two because they are offered at a similar price," reads the document. "That is unpersuasive. To begin with, '[t]he Supreme Court has repeatedly held that a price differential alone is insufficient to infer two separate product markets.'
"Equally important, the FTC’s analysis considers only the high-end models of Xbox (Series X) and PlayStation (Standard Edition), thereby ignoring the differentiation within Xbox’s console lines. In fact, the entry-level versions of the current Xbox and Switch are offered at the same price point ($299.99), and the Xbox Series S is sold for $50 less than the Switch OLED model ($349.99).
"PlayStation likewise sells a less expensive Digital Edition for $399.99, and is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year at the same reduced price point."
Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has previously reported the PlayStation 5 will be getting an overhaul with a new model set to launch around September 2023. The New PS5 will replace the current iterations and will have nearly identical hardware to the current consoles on the market.
The biggest difference according to that report is the new PS5 will have a detachable disc drive. The detachable disc drive will be connected to the PlayStation using an extra USB-C port on the back of the console.
The new PS5 model "doesn't seem like there are any major hardware changes from the original console" and the removable "disc drive likely won't be compatible with the current digital version."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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"The new PS5 model "doesn't seem like there are any major hardware changes from the original console" and the removable "disc drive likely won't be compatible with the current digital version.""
No reason not to have it backwards compatible.
If true, Sony has dropped a ball on up-selling an accessory to customers.
Most likely current FW doesn't allow external drivers since there aren't any released yet. But I would hope they make an update when the driver releases. Otherwise yes I agree with you it is utter silly not to allow the option for early adopters to buy a driver, I know some people saw as mistake their decision to buy digital only. Perhaps MS would even "copy" the idea and offer a drive for Series S for who want it.
Maybe it won't attach via USB, but via a proprietary cable that Sony will design for it. Dumb decision when they could have just used USB so that the disc drive could be plugged into current PS5 Digital models.
Sony are adding an extra USB port to the console to accommodate it.
Tom Henderson, who has been reliable with his PS5 hardware leaks so far, said it's not a Slim, just a new version of the big model with a detachable disc drive. I don't think we will actually see a smaller PS5 model until they are able to do a die shrink from the current 7nm down to 3nm and have it be profitable to do so, I don't think they will be able to make it very much smaller with just a die shrink down to 5nm. I'm guessing 2025 for the Slim model currently, as Henderson also reported that the only new PS5 hardware planned for 2024 is the PS5 Pro.
I agree with you but just want to point out Sony already moved to a 6nm process which reduced its power consumption by more than 10%. Comparing all version show an incredible reduction of the heatsink components.
https://www.reddit.com/r/playstation/comments/x7ywp7/different_internals_of_the_ps5_v1100_v1200_v1000/
That's probably not enough still for a slim version but AMD is already using 5nm (desktop 7000) and 4nm (laptop 7000) in consumer products so there is room for Sony to realistically do so even this year. of course, 3nm is probably a more sensible target and so 2024 - 2025 is probably more like it.
A ps5 pro is simply not happening ignoring any of the other numerous issues there is no hardware that could provide a leap in performance at the same price. That's why all the talk of a hypothetical updated ps5 on digital foundry's DF weekly is whether a 1000 dollar ps5 could be viable.
with all due respect, i think you wrong...
A.I. will change how GPU works, the impact will be gigantic! I'm prety sure PS5 PRO will be desinged to work with A.I on a much deeper level, and this will allow it to deliver much better results compared to base PS5 and, at the same time, keep a good price.
Damn, A.I. will cause such gigantic impact that i can even see this generation ending sooner! Current gen Hardware will soon be surpassed in a maner not seen in a very long time.
I mean so far Tom Henderson has nailed his PS5 hardware leaks. He leaked both the streaming handheld and the new wireless headset before Sony announced them. The same source that told him about those 2, also told him that Sony is working on the detachable disc drive PS5 to replace the current model, due to release in 2023, and PS5 Pro, due to release in 2024. Clearly they have something planned. I don't think it'll be coming in for the same $500 that base PS5 launched for in 2020 most likely, if I was a betting man I'd bet on a PS5 detachable disc drive model price cut to $400 Holiday 2024, and a drop down to $350 for the digital PS5 model without the detachable disc drive bundled in the box, and PS5 Pro launching Holiday 2024 at $600. For $600 Holiday 2024 I reckon they could manage a jump from 10 tflops up to maybe 15-16 tflops, a CPU clock speed increase, and double the SSD size. That is enough of a leap to get closer to native 4k than base PS5 is going to manage, and also provide 60 fps in some games that will struggle to hit 60 fps on base PS5.
At 5nm they can make a slimmer PS5, maybe not call it slim, but yes the question on if they would change external casing is relevant.
But... I JUST bought a PS5...
Better looking and black, pretty please...
they do it every gen so its not really a surprise
What relevance does speculation, and even more regarding a possible new HW of Sony, have on court for the merger?
It´s about defining the relevant market(s), thus the focus on comparative price-points. Of course MS´ contention that Switch is part of same market would be contradicted by ¨Blue Ocean¨ Nintendo themself, who should also be depositioned if this angle is taken seriously. Console marketshare is just one aspect of the issue, but it´s an obvious one to address. I would think ¨# of consoles¨ is not really the most relevant metric for that, as opposed to revenue/profit, but # of subscribers could be more relevant in itself. IMHO the aspect of leveraging game subscriptions to gain weight in video streaming market seems relevant and of interest to FTC, I might think that MS would rather oppose any merger limitation on bundling their ABK or Xbox products with other services in other markets. Of course MS if flaunting past court rulings by force bundling own web browser with Windows (after pleading the reason it couldn´t remove it before was because it was hard-wired in Windows, now they went and did it again with brand new browser).
Agree with you... Yet A PS5 Slim for 399 doesn't change anything on the point since digital only is 449 and Series S is 399 itself. Also it is funny on the bundling of internet as MS just got fined by EU on failing to follow remedies on Teams (bundled on Office) yet they approved the ABK deal saying the remedies were good enough =p
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3701394/microsoft-set-to-face-eu-antitrust-probe-over-teams-bundle-report.html
hmm, they appear to be referencing a game article. So not really anything new here.
